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Oz the Great and Powerful tops box office with $80M debut

By
Jeff
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oz

Oz: The Great and Powerful, Walt Disney Co.’s prequel to the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” scored more than $80 million in its debut weekend in U.S. theaters and $150 million world-wide, box-office watchers said Sunday.

After a $24 million opening day on Friday, “Oz” is expected to rake in another $56 million for Saturday and Sunday when all the final numbers come in Monday. The $80 million estimate was reported by Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com’s box-office division.

“Oz” follows a long line of largely futile attempts to capitalize on what many consider the consummate children’s tale. Disney (US:DIS) itself released a now-obscure title “Return to Oz” in 1985 that gained little traction at the box office.

But this latest release is directed by Sam Raimi, who helmed th blockbuster “Spider-Man” film series, and features three actresses at or near the height of their popularity: Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz.

“Oz’s” weekend opening is the third-best March debut in the U.S., behind only last year’s “The Hunger Games,” which brought in $152.5 million domestically, and 2010’s “Alice In Wonderland.” The latter, also a Disney product, made $116.1 million its first weekend, Dergarabedian reported. “Oz” is the first film of the year to clear $35 million in its debut this year.

“This is going to be the first big hit of the year,” Dergarabedian said. “We desperately need it.”

“Oz” opened in 3,912 theaters throughout North America, making an average of $20,521 per theater, he said.

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Visiting Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Cars Land is the newest land to be expanded at California Adventure since they opened in 2001. It’s also the newest full sized land to be added to the Disneyland Parks since Mickey’s Toon Town came along in 1988. Not including of course the entire California Adventure Park…

With Cars Land came a significant investment in new entertainment, shops and food offerings. Cars Land in and of itself can entertain you for almost an entire day. Especially if you factor in how long some of the lines can be! Take the time to enjoy the splendor of Radiator Springs. It’s a good idea to even watch the movie Cars again so that you can be truly immersed in the wonder of this majestic jewel situated along Route 66.

Great for all that, but what rides are there in Cars Land? The most popular of course is Radiator Springs Racers, this is where you can spend a lot of time in line. There’s Luigi’s Flying Tires which are just right for those who don’t want a thrill ride. These “tires” float on air and you use your own body to steer the tires. These tires are fairly slow moving and are kinda bouncy. There is also Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. You can hop into your favorite tractor, as they are all different, and do some Do-Si-Does around the Junkyard while Mater calls out the dance moves from inside his barn… Mater is busy so don’t expect to see him come out to visit, he’s got to keep the dance going! He and his buddy Lightning do come out for photos and conversations at times. They hang out along Route 66 of Cars Land.

In addition to rides, Cars Land offers a few shops like Sarge’s Surplus hut, the place to get your Radiator Springs t-shirts. Further into Cars Land you’ll find Radiator Springs Curios. You can get your own Mickey Mouse Route 66 sign here among other cool items. What about some body art? Head on in to Ramone’s House of Body Art for some cool tops and other great items to trick out your ride… (your body ride, not so much your car).

I’m hungry! Do I have to head to Pacific Wharf to eat or can I grab something in Cars Land? Why yes come on down Route 66 to Flo’s V8 Cafe for some tasty grub! Flo’s is open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. She’s ready to serve you up a variety of grub hot off the grill. If you’re not in the mood for a bigger meal now, head back north on Route 66 to Filmore’s Taste In for some fruity concoctions and healthy snacks. Last food stop along Route 66 is The Cozy Cone Motel where they will get you a cone-tastic ice cream treat! Sally also has many other tasty treats and can even give you a quick breakfast, all you gotta do is ask.

I hope you find this information fun, new and worthwhile.

Daniel is a self-proclaimed Disney Geek, Disney Vacation Planner and a Disneyland Specialist. When he’s not adding to the plethora of Disney Trivia in his head, you can find him on his Facebook Page and/or follow him on Twitter…

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Visiting Cars Land at Disney's California Adventure

Disney Channel jumps onto Cloud 9

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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DOVE CAMERON

ASHLEY TISDALE AND SHAUN WHITE ARE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS AND LUKE BENWARD AND DOVE CAMERON STAR IN “CLOUD 9,” A DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE

Multi-talented Ashley Tisdale and snowboarding superstar Shaun White are the executive producers of the Disney Channel Original Movie, “Cloud 9,” an exhilarating story set in the world of competitive snowboarding. The movie, starring Luke Benward (“Girl Vs. Monster”) and newcomer Dove Cameron (who also stars in an upcoming Disney Channel series “Liv & Maddie” – working title), is scheduled to premiere next winter on Disney Channel.

The story of “Cloud 9” follows Kayla, a prima donna snowboarder who was just unceremoniously dropped from her team and forced to train with Will, a former snowboarding champion who’s struggling after a career-ending wipe-out. A video capturing it went viral, branding him an “epic fail” on the Internet. Now, as Kayla trains with Will to redeem her stature, Will creates a training regimen that tests whether she’s really committed to rise to the challenge of professional competition. Meanwhile, Kayla must somehow maneuver to inspire Will to overcome his biggest obstacle — self-doubt.

In addition to Benward and Cameron, the movie stars Kiersey Clemons (“Austin & Ally,” “Good Luck Charlie”) as Skye, Mike Manning (“Hawaii Five-O,” “Crash & Bernstein”) as Nick, Patrick Fabian (“Twitches,” “Castle”) as Richard, Amy Farrington (“Jessie,” “Crash & Bernstein”) as Andrea and Jeffrey Nordling (“Malibu Country,” “Body of Proof”) as Sebastian.

Ok so I’m really excited for this one!! I love all of Disney’s original movies and i can’t wait for this one ! They haven’t done a sports one in a while what do you guys think good idea or bad one?

Stay tuned for more on Cloud 9

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Mickey and the Magical Map Live Show Opens in 2013

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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disney magical map

“Mickey and the Magical Map” presents Mickey Mouse in his timeless role as the sorcerer’s apprentice. Sorcerer Yen Sid sets his Mapmakers to work and this ensemble cast of male and female performers paints a wondrous map – capable of taking dreamers to any place imaginable and so large it spans the entire stage of Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland.

Apprentice Mickey lets his curiosity get the better of him and stumbles upon the map’s magical powers. Mickey’s youthful mischief takes him, along with the audience, on a fantastic journey of imagination in the company of the Mapmakers, who help bring his adventures to life.

The journey, presented through amazing theatrical wizardry, colorful visuals and wonderful music, includes encounters with such classic Disney characters as Pocahontas, Mulan, King Louie from “The Jungle Book,” Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog” and others. “Mickey and the Magical Map” is designed for Disneyland guests of all ages and represents Disney storytelling at its most thrilling.

“Mickey and the Magical Map” add to the excitement at the Disneyland Resort, a world-class, family vacation destination where guests continue to enjoy Cars Land and Buena Vista Street at the newly expanded Disney California Adventure.

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Do the Disney Dining Plan – A great option for families!

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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bogs

Disney offers five different dining plans, from two quick-service meals per person per night to three meals at the restaurant of your choice. For 2013, Disney’s Basic Dining Plan includes one quick-service meal, one table service meal, and one snack per person per night of their reservation.

This is a great option for most families because it saves you money and also allows you to try a variety of restaurants. One of the best ways to plan your meals is use a quick-service credit for lunch and a table-service credit for dinner. You can grab lunch wherever is  conveniently located near you and then plan to make dining reservations for dinner. You can end with a big meal and then be ready to start all over the next day.

If you travel to Disney World during the free dining promotion, you can receive a free basic dining plan when you stay at a moderate or deluxe resort. You receive the quick service dining plan for free when you stay at a value resort. The quick service dining plan will include two quick service meals and one snack per person per night. One of the biggest drawbacks to this plan is that it does not include character meals. However, you can always pay the difference to upgrade to the basic dining plan if you choose when you are at a value resort. For a one week stay, it ends up being about a $200 difference to pay to upgrade your dining plan rather than stay at a moderate resort.

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Epcot Flower and Garden Festival – Food and Beverage a Perfect Match at Epcot

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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food

This year’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival elevates the “farm to table” trend to new heights, with Festival Farms around each Garden Marketplace to show how the plants grow that are part of the delicious food and beverages served daily at the festival through May 19.

This fun video highlights the synergy between the garden and kitchen teams, and gives a little insight into the connections. We can’t wait for a taste of tomato wine with shrimp and grits, or the Florida watermelon salad with arugula!

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

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Disney Begins Work on ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ Sequel

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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oz

Disney is feeling pretty good about their new film, ‘Oz the Great and Powerful‘, a prequel to the 1939 film ‘The Wizard of Oz’, all of which are based on the books by L. Frank Baum. The new film, starring James Franco as the man who becomes the Great Wizard known as Oz, and directed by Sam Raimi, is already looking to make in the ballpark of $80 million its opening weekend, Disney feels safe enough to begin prep work on a possible sequel. While not much is known about what exactly the sequel will entail, or what novel in the series it might be based on, we do know that Mitchell Kapner, who helped co-write the first film with David Lindsay-Abaire, will take writing duties on the new film. For those who have seen the film, they know there are actually quite a few different routes you could go with a sequel, so it’s definitely going to be exciting to see just where they’re going to do with it.

One thing I’m very curious about is to see if Sam Raimi will be returning to helm another adventure in the land of Oz. I personally thought that Sam Raimi brought a really awesome touch to Oz, and you could tell he was definitely having fun in the world. It seemed to really mesh with his artistic style, so I’m really hoping he’ll return for a second go-around. Are you excited by the possibilites of another ‘Oz’ film? Let me know in the comments below, only here at Chip and Company!

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Discovery Science Center to Host Iron Man 3: Inventor and Innovator Fair

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Iron Man 3

Do you think you have the smarts of Tony Stark? Can you invent something that would make him proud? Then you’re just the person that the Discovery Science Center is looking for! In anticipation Marvel Studios’ new summer blockbuster, ‘Iron Man 3’, starring Robert Downey, Jr. once more as the titular hero, the Discovery Science Center, Broadcom Foundation, Marvel Studios, Visa Signature, and the El Capitan Theater are teaming up to host a new invention competition. It’s a pretty cool sounding contest, with the 12 finalists will be flown out to California for a behind the scenes tour of Walt Disney Studios, a trip to Disneyland, and more! Hit the jump for a full breakdown on how to go about entering the “Inventor and Innovator Fair”.

CALLING ALL ASPIRING INVENTORS!  It’s time to channel your inner Iron Man/Tony Stark and let your inventing imagination go wild.  Discovery Science Center,Broadcom Foundation and Marvel Studios, along with Visa Signature and the famous El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, are proud to team up to sponsor a nationwide Marvel’s IRON MAN 3:  INVENTOR and INNOVATOR FAIR in conjunction with the May 3rd release of Marvel’s “Iron Man 3,” starring Robert Downey Jr.

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A new animated comedy comes to Disney Channel

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Disney-ChannelLogo

Disney Channel has ordered “Star and the Forces of Evil” (working title), an animated comedy adventure about a fun-loving magical teen princess from another dimension who — after a few bold skirmishes with other-worldly monsters — is sent by her Royal Parents to live with the Diaz family on Earth. Eden Sher (ABC’s “The Middle”) provides the voice of the lead character, Star Butterfly. Production has begun for a scheduled Fall 2014 premiere. The announcement was made today by Eric Coleman, Senior Vice President, Original Series, Disney Television Animation.

Artist and writer Daron Nefcy is the series creator and co-executive producer. She is a 2009 California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) graduate whose work has been showcased throughout the Los Angeles underground art community. Her television credits include recent work on Disney Channel’s upcoming animated series, “Wander Over Yonder,” and the Warner Bros. animated series “MAD.” Emmy and Annie Award-winning director Dave Wasson (“The Buzz on Maggie,” “Making Fiends”) is co-executive producer and director, and Annie Award-winning writer Jordana Arkin (“Melissa and Joey,” “Will & Grace”) is co-executive producer and story editor.

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Classic Disney Movie week on ABC Family

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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lionking3

ABC Family will be showing Alice in Wonderland (1951), Mulan (1998), The Lion King (1994) and Beauty and the Beast (1991) Saturday, March 30, and Sunday, March 31.

The Disney movies weekend kicks off with 1951′s Alice in Wonderland, March 30 at 5:30pm ET/PT (encore March 31 at 3:30pm ET/PT). It’s the animated adventure about young Alice, who finds herself in the strange, scary and whimsical world of Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland features the voices of Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn and Sterling Holloway.

Next, Mulan airs March 30 at 7:05pm ET/PT (encore March 31 at 5:05pm ET/PT). This story follows a young Chinese princess who disguises herself as a soldier so she can fight to keep her people safe. Mulan features the voices of Ming-Na, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Fierstein, George Takei and Pat Morita.

Finally on Saturday, The Lion King airs March 30 at 9pm ET/PT (encore March 31 at 7pm ET/PT). This classic tells the story of a guilt-ridden lion cub who flees into exile and abandons his identity as the future King after being tricked by his scheming uncle into thinking that he caused his father’s death. The Lion King features the voices of Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly and Nathan Lane.

Easter Sunday, March 31, will feature an airing of Beauty and the Beast at 9pm ET/PT. The first-ever animated film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, the film tells the timeless tale of a young woman who trades herself to a reclusive, wealthy beast in exchange for her imprisoned father’s freedom. While learning to live with the monster, she soon discovers there is a misunderstood man inside. Beauty and the Beast features the voices of Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers and Angela Lansbury.

the following is the lineup for the weekend 

  • Alice in Wonderland (1951) – March 30 at 5:30pm; March 31 at 3:30pm
  • Mulan (1998) — March 30 at 7:05pm; March 31 at 5:05pm
  • The Lion King (1994) — March 30 at 9pm; March 31 at 7pm
  • Beauty and the Beast (1991) — March 31 at 9pm

Stay tuned for more ABC Family

 

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Help catch the World of Disney Thief

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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The police are asking for your help if you happened to be in Downtown Disney on December 9th near or in the “World of Disney”. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Orlando Police Department are looking for a thief who stole over $14,000 worth of jewelry from “World of Disney.”

The thief stole the items around 8:30pm and headed up to a cashier at “World of Disney” with a gold necklace, matching earrings, and one or two other pieces of jewelry (including some with diamonds). The man received a discount of 20% on at least one item by showing an annual pass and then gave the clerk a Wal-Mart Visa card. When the clerk swiped the card the reader would not accept it so the cast member at “World of Disney” entered in the credit card number, expiration date and the security code on the back of his card. Unfortunately it was later determined the card was fraudulent, investigators said.

The man was wearing braces and provided identification that matched the name on the card. Police are releasing the information to see if anyone in the public knows anything about this man. If you do know anything please call  Detective Frank Delguercio at 407-939-3208.

 

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Epcot’s World Showcase Best Kept Secrets – France

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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france

After a nice, leisurely stroll through the gardens or some fish and chip at Rose and Crown Pub we continue our tour around the World Showcase looking for hidden gems in France.

  • The footbridge leading you from UK to France is a representation of the Seine waterfront, complete with flower carts and even streetside artists and the bridge is inspired by Pont des Arts.
  • The Tower is 1/10th the size of the actual tower and was built following the blueprints of the Gustave Eiffel.

The Eiffel tower is the only thing in the World Showcase that can’t be reached by the general public.

  • Be on the lookout for street performers, they are very enlighting and show up through out the day.

It makes for a good break in the day to sit back with a nice glass of champagne (or french wine) and fresh croissant from the amazing bakery and enjoy the street performers.

  • Want to share in a tale “as old as time” Belle and her furry prince can often be seen greeting guests in the garden (check map for times)

Other characters of a french descent are known to appear here as well including Marie from the Aristocrats, characters from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and sometimes even Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty has been known to appear.

  • While perusing the shops you may come across Belle’s Library, make sure you spend a few minutes enjoying the decor. There are many references to classic Disney tales, shelves lined with favorite stories, knickknacks like gargoyles from Hunchback and even the rose from Beauty and the Beast.

You can also see a beautiful stained glass mosaic representing the beginning of the movie Beauty and the Beast here.

  • They have a really good “adult” slushie that is made with Grey Goose Vodka and Grand Marnier at the wine kiosk if you are looking for something cold to cool you off. 
  • As you complete your romantic tour of France and head toward Morocco you might notice the pavement between the two changes. This is to symbolize the Straits of Gibralter.

Have you ever had a chance to meet Belle and her prince here? Did you happen to catch any of the other characters  or the street shows? What did you think of them? Join us next time as we explore Morocco and find all the hidden secrets there.

 

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Epcot's World Showcase Best Kept Secrets - France
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